WD upgrades external HDDs to USB 3.0

Western Digital has added USB 3.0 connectivity to its My Book Essential, My Passport Essential and My Passport Essential SE external hard drive lines.

The My Book Essential also gets a capacity bump from the current 2TB range-topper to 3TB.

The Passport Essential runs to 500GB. The SE version is physically bigger, to accomodate 750GB and 1TB of storage.

There's a mark-up for USB 3.0 support, of course. For example, the USB 2.0 1TB My Passport Essential SE costs £150 direct from WD, but USB 3.0 version's Euro price, €200, converts to £173.

The 3TB My Book will retail for €300 (£260), the 750GB My Passport Essential SE for €150 (£130) and the 500GB My Passport Essential for €99 (£85). They'll be available shortlty, from retailers and WD's sales site. ®